ED Details 91 Illegal Assets in Nayeem Property Case
The investigation was initiated following an FIR registered by Telangana police against Md. Abdul Faheem, Haseena Begum, Pasham Srinivas, Md. Abdul Nasir, Thumma Srinivas, B. Shravan Kumar and Sathish Reddy for forceful occupation and sale of land by Nayeemuddin and his associates.
Hyderabad: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) officials, who are probing the slain gangster Mohammed Nayeemuddin alias Nayeem’s alleged illegal activities, found that he had projected illegally acquired properties as genuine through forceful registration of sale deeds. A total of 91 properties were registered in the names of Nayeemuddin’s family members and associates.
ED Hyderabad zonal officials have filed a charge sheet (Prosecution Complaint) before the MSJ court, Rangareddy district, against Pasham Srinivas, Haseena Begum, Mohammed Thahera Begum, Mohammed Saleema Begum, Mohammed Abdul Saleem, Ahela Begum, Syed Nilofar, Firdous Anjum, Mohammed Arif and Heena Kousar under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with Nayeem’s illegal acquisition of immovable properties.
According to ED officials, the investigation was initiated following an FIR registered by Telangana police against Md. Abdul Faheem, Haseena Begum, Pasham Srinivas, Md. Abdul Nasir, Thumma Srinivas, B. Shravan Kumar and Sathish Reddy for forceful occupation and sale of land by Nayeemuddin and his associates.
The ED also received a reference from the income tax department regarding action taken under the Prohibition of Benami Property and Transaction Act, 1988, against Nayeemuddin, Haseena Begum, Thahera Begum and others, based on information provided by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Telangana government to probe properties illegally acquired by Nayeemuddin and his associates.
Investigations revealed that Nayeemuddin, along with his associates and family members, was involved in forceful registration of properties belonging to various individuals by threatening them with harm. Their modus operandi was to identify properties, intimidate owners, and compel them to transfer ownership to Nayeemuddin’s associates or family members.
“If the owner of the property did not yield to their demands, they abducted them or their family members and pressurised them to come to sub‑registrar offices for registration of the properties in the names of Nayeemuddin’s associates or family members,” ED officials said in the charge sheet.
The agency alleged that Nayeemuddin projected the illegally acquired properties as genuine through such registrations. Sellers received no monetary consideration and were threatened to the extent that they could not muster the courage to file complaints with the police or any authority.
“Pasham Srinivas was a close associate of Nayeemuddin and worked with him to extort properties from original owners. He ensured the properties were registered in the names of Nayeemuddin’s family members and associates,” the ED noted.
The probe confirmed that 91 properties were forcefully registered in the names of Nayeemuddin’s family members and associates. These properties represent proceeds of crime liable for attachment under PMLA and consequent confiscation to the Central government.
However, since these properties were already attached by the income tax department under the Prohibition of Benami Property and Transaction Act, 1988, the ED did not attach them again during its investigation. Confiscation of the attached properties to the Central government has been prayed for in the Prosecution Complaint filed by the ED.
